Guide-board and sign.



PATENTED AUG. 21, 1906.

W. P. HARMONY.

GUIDE BOARD AND SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED PEB. 7, 1906.

l n 11e/nim:

witwassen Lm. CMM. if. /jpw WILLIAM P. HARMONY, OF SIDNEY, OHIO.

GUIDE-BOARD AND SIGN.

Specification cf Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 21, 1 906.

Application iiled February 7, 1906. `Serial No. 299,912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAM P. HARMONY, a resident of Sidney, in the county of Shelby and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Guide-Boards and Signs; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to guide-boards and f signs, and has for its objects to provide a durable guide-board and sign, to render the sign conspicuous and easily legible,and to secure other advantages.

The invention consists in the construction hereinafter described and particularly pointed out.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention and form part of this specification, Figure 1 is a front elevation. Fig. 2 is a vertical section. Fig. 3 is an end view. Figs. 4 and 5 are views of a modification. Fig. 6 is a partial section of the board on an enlarged scale.

Numeral 1 denotes a guide-board provided with bored out or indented holes 2 of the special character to be described arranged in the forni of letters, substantially as shown.

3 denotes an overhanging top or cover having a roof-like upper surface adapted to shed rain. This top has projections produced by cutting it away, as indicated at 4, thereby leaving a shorter part 5 of the same length as the board.

6 denotes a dovetailed connection of the board. and its top, the use of nails or screws being, by preference, avoided.

To the ends of the guide-board are secured strips or storm-guards 7. The rear of these and of the board may be in the same plane. If desired, and preferably in some cases, the top will be furnished with projecting edges 8 to provide that rain or melting ice and snow may drip freely, and thus be prevented from flowing or creeping into the joints.

It is highly desirable in many cases that signs be made durable, and it is important to protect both the lettering and the board itself from the injurious effects of rain, melting snow, sleet, or ice, and especially for the reason that they are inconvenient of access for repairs or renewal and for the further reason that questions as to renewing public signs and as to the expense of such renewal often lead to undue neglect. The construction thus far` described avoids exposed joints and exposed broken surfaces, such as caused by nails or screws, and excludes moisture and directs it away from the board, and, further, defends in large measure the face of the guide or the sign board from impact of matter carried by strong winds.

the invention, I arrange series of approxi-` mately cup-shaped depressions 2 in manner to form letters and substantially as shown. Said depressions are situated near each other and are approximately conical in form. By preference, their sides flare outward from their bottom, having an angle with the face of the board of aboutl forty-iive degrees, and each may have at its bottom at the cone apex a continuation l0 of cylindrical or other form which in operation will serve to anchor material with which it is proposed in some cases to fill or partly fill each opening. I use a plurality of depressions in each part of the several letters. This requires less material of the board tobe removed than in case the depression forming each part or member of a letter is made continuous, and it provides more secure holdin for any coloring material that may be placec in the depressions, since by my construction they can be made comparatively shallow without seriously impairing the friction of their surfaces. To'insure equal security of the colored iilling matter in letters formed by continuous, or nearly continuous, cuts or depressions, they would require to be made deeper and would necessitate both a thicker board and more filling, and even then the iilling would not be equally durable.

The letters formed as described and shown are quite legible Without any contrast of color or without any other contrast than such as Would be afforded by the depressions cut across the grain of wood combined with the effect of shadow in said depressions. It is, however, desirable to paint the sign and also to paint the interiorvof the depressions with a color different from that of the remainder of the sign-face, and preferably the depressions will be filled, or nearly filled, with paint or adhesive colored matter. Such filling adherent to the walls of the depressions and anchored in the spaces l() and shielded from the action of moisture and wind, as set forth, will be practically'indestructible.

To further promote the main objects ofl IOO Other material than wood may be emplayed in whole or in part without sacrificing all the advantages of my improvement.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is- 1. A guide-board provided. with letters formed in one face of the board by a suitably arranged plurality of depressions to form the several parts of each letter, said depressions being situated closely adjacent to each other.

2. A guide-board provided with letters formed in one face of the board by a suitablyarranged plurality of depressions to form the several parts of each letter, said depressions being situated closely, adjacent each other and iilled'with adhesive material.

3. A guide-board provided with letters formed by a suitably-arranged series of approximately conical depressions below the face of the boardeach having a cylindrical extension, and adhesive material lling said depressions and extensions.

4. The uide-board having an integral roof-shaped cover, guards at its ends situated under the cover, both cover and guards projecting in Jfront of the sign, said cover having an exterior surface unbroken by nails or the like, and a joint whereby it is fixed directly upon the board, said joint being covered.

above by the roof-shaped cover and at its ends by the guards.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM P. HARMONY. Witnesses:

WALTER R. BLAKE', C. A. 'GUTHRIn 

